Fabricius Hildanus - the «Father of German surgery» of the Renaissance

Rationale Wilhelm Fabry von Hilden (latinized name Fabricius Hildanus) is often called the «German Ambroise Pare». Having started their professional life as apprentices to barber surgeons, they both eventually rose and took leading positions in surgery, although neither had a university education. However, in contrast to the numerous works on the A. Pare (1510-1590), there is no description of the biography and innovations of Fabricius (1560-1634) in Russia. Objective: is to acquaint the domestic reader with the spectrum of Hilden’s main scientific interests and to establish the connection of his priorities with modern medicine. Methods: Review of foreign literature on the life history and main activities of Fabricius Hildanus in clinical medicine. Results: The scientific data on the biography of Fabricius Hildanus and the content of his works in the field of general and private surgery are summarized. The importance of his innovations in the development of combustology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, military field surgery, traumatology and orthopedics, oncology, operative urology, obstetrics, otorhinolaryngology is emphasized. Conclusion Fabricius’ life and work has been full of innovations in various fields of surgery, while his medical research has been used for many decades and continues to attract interest today. If A. Pare, who was born half a century before Hildanus, is today called the «founder of modern surgery», then Fabricius can rightfully be called the «father of German surgery». They were characterized by attention to new surgical principles. They both gave impetus to the «renaissance in surgery» and laid a solid foundation for its modern sparing art.